Small-scale shark fisheries in Indonesia are a never-ending topic. Sharks have an important biological role in the environment and serve as a source of income for many coastal communities. Unfortunately, the spread of negative reputation has made life difficult for fishermen who have few other options. This predicament is aggravated by a paucity of scientific data on shark biology and ecological features, as well as socioeconomic issues that are critical in establishing policy direction.
Save Our Seas Foundation allows us to better understand small-scale shark fisheries in Sangihe and throughout Indonesia. On March 26, 2024, we held a workshop titled “Small-scale shark fisheries in Indonesia, will they be sustainable?” In collaboration with the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries (MMAF), the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPIK) at IPB, and the Faculty of Biology at UGM, with full support from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the Coastal and Marine Resource Management Agency (BPSPL) Makassar, WWF Indonesia, Thresher Shark Indonesia, Mobula Project Indonesia, Elasmobranch Project Indonesia, and the Rekam Nusantara Foundation.
1. Workshop of small-scale shark fisheries in Indonesia, will it be sustainable?
Heri (Independent Fisheries Consultant/Leader Preparation) moderated the main session, featuring Prof. Dr. Ir. Fredinan Yulianda (FPIK IPB University), who emphasised the importance of adaptive management in his presentation on “Conservation challenges and management status“. Similarly, Dr. Fahmi (BRIN) discussed the “Global conservation status of shark species ” highlighting the need for effective use of energy to regulate shark fisheries, for example, by strictly monitoring businesses.
Representing BPSPL Makassar, Permana Yudiarso, S.T., M.T. emphasised ongoing regulations such as quotas, size regulations, reporting, and licensing updates related to species included in Appendix II in his presentation on “Conservation implementation of shark resources in Sangihe Islands Regency”, including hopes for collaboration among various parties.
Citra Septiani, M.Res (YAPEKA) then presented data on shark fisheries ecological and socio-economic aspects in Batuwingkung, Sangihe, including potential future development alternatives to other business models. Dr. Alin Halimatussadiah (Head of the Environmental Economic Research Study Group FEB UI) responded to the data, by discussing the process of livelihood switching for fishermen in an economic context involving a long and collaborative process.
2. Collaborative efforts in Small-scale Shark Fishery through Grassroots Dialogues
On May 4, 2024, a Grassroot Dialogue was conducted in Tahuna, Sangihe Islands, attended by local stakeholders, government officials, shark fishers, and traders. During the meeting, we talked about shark conservation and management from a local perspective. We also invited local traders and shark fishers to share their thoughts on existing regulations and shark conservation efforts.
Changes in national and international shark trade regulations will have an impact on local fishermen’s revenue. Thus, the government and communities should collaborate to produce alternative income. As a result, the strain on the shark population will gradually subside.
3. National Shark and Rays Symposium
To share our findings, we attended a national conference on May 21-22, 2024. The agenda was developed by the MMAF in partnership with Konservasi Indonesia, Yayasan WWF, USAID-Kolektif, Yayasan Kehati, Konservasi Alam Nusantara, and Universitas Indonesia.
More than 100 participants present their work in fundamental ecological research, technological innovation, conservation, and human issues. The timetable encourages participants to discuss future collaboration in addition to discussing their work.
During the symposium, we had a fruitful discussion with several NGOs working on similar topics, particularly long-term baseline data for evidence-based policy and alternative livelihood studies, such as Thresher Shark Indonesia.
We also discussed potential data support for Konservasi Indonesia, which is currently building an ArcGIS-based national database for shark landing. The symposium ends by synthesizing all the works into policy recommendations.
(Article by: Citra Septiani and Akbar Reza; Untangling the knots: Collaborative efforts in Small-scale Shark Fishery through Grassroots Dialogues, Workshops, and a National Shark and Rays Symposium)
